|
|
|
February Immigrant Affairs Update |
|
|---|
|
|
Austin/Travis County residents can pick up water from the following locations:
Travis County Expo Center
7311 Decker Lane, Austin, TX 78724
Hours: Open Noon to 8 p.m.
Southeast Metropolitan Park
4511 State Hwy 71, Del Valle, TX 78617
Hours: Open Noon to 8 p.m.
Austin Water Glen Bell Service Center*
3907 S. Industrial Dr, Austin, TX 78744
Hours: Open 24 Hours
* Customers must bring an empty water container.
Austin Water North Service Center*
901 W Koenig Ln, Austin, TX 78756
Hours: Open 24 Hours
* Customers must bring an empty water container.
Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex
10211 W Parmer Ln, Austin, TX 78717
Hours: Open Noon to 8 p.m.
Travis County Tax Office-Southeast
4011 McKinney Falls Pkwy
Austin, TX 79744
Hours: Open Noon to 8 p.m.
Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park
12138 N Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78753
Hours: Open Noon to 8 p.m.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Collecting Naturalization Stories
National Partnership for New Americans has set a bold goal of supprting 2 million people in becoming naturalized U.S. citizens. As part of the campaign, they want to uplift stories of naturalized citizens. If you are a naturalized U.S. citizen, you can submit your naturalization story here. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Multicultural Refugee Coalition is in need of a Volunteer ESL Teacher
Multicultural Refugee Coalition is looking for a volunteer to lead in-person sessions at New Leaf farm twice a week. Volunteers will create lesson plans and help refugees practice their English language skills. Interested in becoming a part of our ESL team? Click here to learn more & apply! |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Refugee Services of Texas
Pashto and Dari Speakers Needed for Youth Mentoring Program
RST's Youth Mentoring Program is in need of volunteer mentors, especially those who speak Pashto and Dari!
If you're interested in volunteering, please contact the Youth Mentoring Program Coordinator, Kamilia. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Salaam Neighbors
Austin Jews for Refugees and partners are launching the "Salaam Neighbors" program. Volunteer teams will assist new Afghan arrivals as they resettle in Austin. A three-month minimum commitment is required to fully support families during this big transition.
The Salaam Neighbors program pairs a group of volunteers with a refugee family, in partnership with Refugee Services of Texas (RST). Volunteers will assist one or more Afghan families with specific tasks that will help them adjust and thrive in Austin. To volunteer, please contact Russ Apfel |
|
|---|
|
|
|
- In late January, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas urged local law enforcement agencies to work in tandem with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in targeting and deporting undocumented people in cities across the country.
- Saturday, January 29, marked the 3-year anniversary of the first implementation of Remain in Mexico (aka MPP), when a Honduran man was forced back to Tijuana after seeking asylum in the United States. Yesterday, February 1, 2022, Remain in Mexico hearings are beginning once again in the San Diego Immigration Court.
- The U.S. immigration court system has a backlog of over 1.5 million cases - the largest in history. Since the start of the Biden administration, the growth of the backlog has drastically accelerated. The wait times for a hearing on an immigrant's asylum claims now averages 58 months, or just under 5 years.
- A federal court ruled yesterday that two rules issued by the Trump administration restricting - and in some cases eliminating - access to work authorization for asylum seekers were illegally issued and therefore invalid. More than a year ago, a group of nearly 20 asylum seekers along with three organizations sued the Department of Homeland Security challenging these rules. The rules prevented or delayed their access to a work permit.
- Austin's Black immigrant population is growing. The Black population in the United States — and Texas — is diversifying because of global immigration, according to a report from the Pew Research Center. The group makes up a relatively small share of Austin's foreign-born population, but the number has more than doubled in the last 10 years, with over one-third having arrived since 2010, according to Austin demographer Lila Valencia.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Black History Month Toolkit
During this Black History Month, the Haitian Bridge Alliance wants to highlight the ongoing mistreatment and expulsions of Haitians and other Black immigrants, refugees, and asylees who are coming to the U.S. seeking safety. Black immigrants asylum claims are less likely to be approved. Further, they are more likely to be detained than the immigrant population overall and their bonds are significantly higher. This is the main reason why Haitian Bridge Alliance and African Bureau of immigration and Social Affairs (ABISA) co-founded the Black immigration Bail Fund in 2020. Black lives are often overlooked in immigration spaces due to the anti-Blackness and racism embedded in every system in society. Join some of the calls to action throughout the month here.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Refugee Leadership Development Program
The Refugee Leadership Development Program provides monthly workshops to refugee and immigrant organizers across the United States. Led by refugees for refugees, this training series is an opportunity to learn more about advocacy tactics being used to advance pro-refugee / pro-immigrant policy on the state and national level, story-telling and narrative shifting, and connecting with resources and local networks to build more welcoming and inclusive communities.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Friday, February 11 @ 10am CST
My API Live
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Thursday, February 17 @ 2pm CST
Austin Refugee Roundtable Meeting
The Austin Refugee Roundtable is comprised of local agencies working with refugees in Austin. The monthly meetings are a space to provide updates as well as share information and resources in order to better support our refugee communities. Please contact ARR in order to receive their newsletter and join the monthly meetings. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Friday, February 18 @ 10:30am CST
Immigrant Services Network of Austin monthly meeting
Sign up for ISNA membership here in order to receive access to the Zoom meeting information. ISNA is a working group of diverse community stakeholders and immigrant service providers operating together to coordinate efforts, increase public awareness, and inform policy, in order to better serve our immigrant communities. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, February 19 @ 10am CST
Refugee Services of Texas - Saturday Book Club
Art of Resilience: The Refugee State of Mind shares the refugee heritage, life, and art of Hussein Al-Baiaty. A graphic designer by trade, Hussein uses the wearable medium of printed T-shirts to promote understanding—expressing the stories of hardship, inspiration, and resilience that so often define the refugee experience.
Interwoven throughout these stories are Hussein's own principles for surviving and thriving in any new situation. Learn through his eyes how the most impossible conditions can teach us to overcome any obstacle and create the future we want. Register here. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, February 22 @ 3pm CST
Immigrant Justice Network Training
Please join the Immigrant Justice Network for their inaugural training about the past, present, and future of the criminal and immigration systems. Registration is capped at 75 people. All attendees will receive a Doordash gift card so they can nourish themselves during the session. Register here for the training. |
|
|---|
|
|
The City of Austin has gone back up to Stage 5 of COVID-19 risk-based guidelines. Find resources here. Everyone 5 years of age and older is eligible to be vaccinated.
Vaccines
Boosters
- Booster shots are available at all APH vaccination locations.
- Pfizer boosters are available for anyone age 12 and over at least five months after their second shot.
- Moderna boosters are available for all adults 18 years and older at least six months after their second shot.
- Johnson & Johnson boosters are available for all adults 18 years and older at least two months after receiving their first J&J shot.
Order FREE at-home COVID Testing Kits now! 4 tests per household can be ordered every month. Order here.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
ICYMI: Access to Housing, Disaster Relief, and Homelessness Assistance Programs for Immigrants
The law related to immigrant eligibility for certain public assistance can often be a confusing area and one that is often in flux as administrations change. Join the Welcoming America Network for an important conversation about access to housing, disaster relief, and homelessness assistance programs for immigrants. Watch the recording of the webinar here. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
CWS Call Center
The CWS Call Center, launched in January 2019, is a free national service connecting immigrants, regardless of their legal status, to free or low-cost resources in their area.
Resource referrals include food, housing, medical care, legal support, court date information, school enrollment, and more.
Callers are not required to provide names or other identifying information.
The Call Center is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday.
Call Center Specialists are bilingual in English and Spanish and have access to a language line with over 200 languages. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
The Asian American Foundation Rapid Response Toolkit
This toolkit was created as a landing place for our Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and allies to mobilize at scale across nonprofits, media outlets, and advocacy and public safety groups, to protect AANHPI everywhere. A better future is a multi-faceted effort. View the toolkit here. |
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
 | | |
|  |
|
|
|
|
